1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to beverage mixing dispensers and more particularly to beverage mixing dispensers that mix beverage ingredient, in powder or semi-liquid form, with water to make the beverage.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Beverage mixing dispensers that mix beverage ingredient in powder form with water to make a beverage that is then dispensed are well known. Such equipment is often used in beverage vending machines to make such drinks as coffee, tea, cocoa or chocolate drinks, juice, broth, soup, etc. Such mixing dispensers generally comprise a hopper for containing the beverage ingredient, such as beverage ingredient powder or other ingredient material, a mixing chamber with mixing blades for mixing the beverage ingredient with water, a water tank or other source of water for mixing with the beverage ingredient, an ingredient powder delivery system for delivering beverage ingredient powder to the mixing chamber and a solenoid controlled valve for delivering water to the mixing chamber for mixing with the beverage ingredient. The outlet of the mixing chamber has a solenoid controlled valve that is closed during mixing and then opened to drain the mixed drink from the mixing chamber and into a suitable container, such as an individual drinking cup. The powder delivery system may include a solenoid-controlled valve for controlling the outlet of the power hopper for selectively passing powder to the top of the mixing chamber. The amount of water passed to the serving cup is controlled by controlling the time that a water dispense valve is opened, and the amount of powder may be controlled by the length of time that the powder outlet valve is open.
A problem with the known beverage ingredient powder drink dispensers is that due to moisture, steam, water vapor, rising from the mixing chamber, the interior and the exterior of the outlet of the powder hopper often becomes moist. Consequently, powder fines will stick to the powder outlet and eventually clog the outlet such that none or a reduced amount of ingredient powder is dispensed into the mixing chamber. If varying amounts of powder are injected into the mixing chamber without a corresponding proportional varying of the water, the strength of the resultant beverage disadvantageously varies. If the outlet becomes entirely clogged and blocked then the customer gets no beverage for his money put into a vending machine, for instance. Both results are disadvantageous, but the varying and reduced strength, which adversely affects both quality and uniformity, is perhaps the most deleterious. Reduced beverage strength creates a negative impression directly associated with the drink itself as opposed to the dissatisfaction with only the mixing dispenser that is believed to be generally understood by the consumer to not be the fault of the maker of the powder drink ingredient.
Another problem with known beverage mixing dispensers is that the mixing chamber assembly may not be easily disassembled and is not designed to be disassembled or separated from the housing, or body, of the dispenser except by trained service personnel. It is not removable by regular, user employees who have neither the tools nor the technical expertise to disassemble the mixing chamber for purposes of visual and manual access or cleaning. Instead, skilled maintainers of the dispensers may, for instance, visit a vending dispenser on a daily basis, or other periodic longer time periodic basis depending upon the level of usage. Consequently, parts of the mixing chamber do no get cleaned as frequently as they should, resulting in deleterious affects to the taste and quality or even possibly the health safety of the drinks being mixed. Alternatively, the task of frequent, such as daily, regular cleaning of the mixing chamber assembly, can become prohibitively labor intensive and expensive.
Another problem with known mixing drink dispensers is that the air is entrained by cutting large bubbles of air into small one by whipping. This results in a beverage, such as a cappuccino with relatively large bubbles that provides a foam that is relatively unstable and undesirably rapidly subsides or flattens.